The Hero's Forsaken Princess
Chapter 88: The King and The Servant II

Chapter 88: The King and The Servant II

King Solomon had been troubled by Esmeralda’s words. How could he marry her? He was already married to Queen Amara. He couldn’t divorce the queen for just a mere servant.

However, he couldn’t give up on Esmeralda. He was so in love with her. He was too possessive of her. He couldn’t let her go.

The thought of Esmeralda marrying another man was driving him mad. He wouldn’t let that happen.

’Esme is mine! She is mine. And she loves me back.’

"I have to continue pretending. Or maybe, she will still agree to become my mistress once she finds out I am the King. Esme will not reject me because I am the King of this kingdom."

"What do you think about it, Zaldy?" King Solomon turned to his loyal servant, Zaldy. He was the only person who knew about King Solomon’s secret.

Zaldy was also the one protecting Esmeralda under the command of King Solomon.

"Your Majesty, you have to stop this. Esme will be in danger once Queen Amara finds out about your affair. Her Majesty started to ask about your frequent journeys outside the palace," Zaldy expressed his honest thoughts.

In order to pretend as a royal servant, King Solomon continued deceiving Queen Amara. He pretended to be going on a trip just to be with Esmeralda for days.

"You don’t have to worry about that. I have the situation under control. I can protect Esme," King Solomon said confidently. "Besides, you are here to help me. I owe you a lot, Zaldy."

Zaldy could only sigh in defeat. He couldn’t refuse the king even though he knew that what he was doing was forbidden.

After knowing Esmeralda, Zaldy could tell that she was a pure-hearted soul. He felt sorry for her because King Solomon had been deceiving her.

Zaldy could also tell that the female servant loved King Solomon genuinely. However, he wasn’t sure how she would react once she found out his real identity.

King Solomon thought that Esmeralda was willing to be his mistress once she learned that he was the King of Averion.

However, Zaldy had a nagging feeling that Esmeralda might break up with him once she found out the truth.

Aside from being kind-hearted, Esmeralda was known for being a righteous woman.

Even though she had been picked on by other servants numerous times, she never fought back. She didn’t even think of having revenge against them.

Esmeralda didn’t dwell on the negative things. She always had a positive outlook on life.

Furthermore, Zaldy had noticed that Esmeralda never lost her composure. She was always calm and forgiving. She was also wise and intelligent even though she was just a mere servant.

"What do you plan to do now, Your Majesty?" Zaldy asked him curiously.

"I need to surprise Esme. I will no longer hide my identity. Since I can’t marry her, I will tell her who I am and ask her to be my mistress."

"Are you certain about this, Your Majesty?" Zaldy couldn’t brush off his worry about King Solomon’s plan.

"What will you do if she refuses to be your mistress?"

King Solomon narrowed his eyes upon hearing that.

"Nonsense! Esme loves me! She will not refuse my offer. I will give her a good life. For a mere servant, it will be an honor to be a king’s woman!"

King Solomon was stubborn. He thought so highly of himself. He looked down on Esmeralda’s status as a mere servant so he was confident that she would still choose to be with him.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty. I didn’t mean to offend you." Zaldy apologized immediately.

"Make all the preparations. Two days from now, I will send Queen Amara and my children on a journey. Once they leave the palace, I will summon Esme in my chamber. You must bring her to me. It’s time for me to reveal my identity to Esme," King Solomon commanded his royal servant.

"I shall see to it, Your Majesty."

Two days later...

Queen Amara, the Crown Prince, and the two princesses were sent to do relief operations for the nearby towns that were greatly affected by drought and famine. It was a way to honor the King’s generosity.

King Solomon feigned an illness for him to stay in the palace while the royal family was sent out. He grabbed that opportunity to reveal his real identity to Esmeralda.

Zaldy fetched Esmeralda from the Servant’s quarters.

"Esme, we’ve heard about your knowledge of herbal medicine. The royal physician has summoned you to the King’s chamber. He needs your help tending to the sick King."

Esmeralda was taken aback when she heard that. Only Cristoff knew about her knowledge of medicine. She never told anyone about it.

’Is the King severely ill? Did Cristoff tell the royal physician about me?’ Esmeralda pondered to herself.

She never met the King and Queen of Averion. Esmeralda had been trying her best to avoid meeting the royal family and nobles.

She just wanted to keep her identity a secret. She was afraid that someone might recognize her as the exiled princess of Kingdom Zephyra.

But since she was summoned by the royal physician, she had no right to refuse. She followed Zaldy to the King’s chamber.

As they made their way to the King’s chamber, Esmeralda noticed that only a few knights were guarding the King’s quarters. She also didn’t see any royal servants around.

’Did they forbid everyone from getting near the King’s quarters because of his illness?’ Esmeralda became more concerned about the king’s health.

’I have to do what I can to cure him.’ Esmeralda encouraged herself. She was clueless that the person waiting for her in the king’s chamber was her lover.

In a brief moment, Zaldy and Esmeralda reached the king’s chambers.

"I can’t accompany you inside. You must go alone," Zaldy said, staring at Esmeralda with complicated emotions in his eyes.

Esmeralda flashed her charming smile. "I will do my best to help the royal physician in curing the king’s illness. Don’t worry too much. King Solomon will recover."

Zaldy was taken aback for a moment. He knew that Esmeralda tried to comfort him as she noticed his worried expression.

’What a silly woman. I’m not worried about the king’s health. I’m worried about you. I wonder how you will react once you find out the truth. You’ve been deceived by the man you love. And today, he will even ask you to be his mistress. What will you do, Esme?’